It's the season for giving. Jonathan, 6, and Arianna, 9, stopped by the Fond du Lac Public Library Children’s Desk on December 13 to give Children's Coordinator Julia Cartwright each a five-dollar bill. The kids were following a family tradition handed down by their father, Mike Korb, of donating what they received on St. Nicholas Day.

Kids ages 6 to 12 who could benefit from practicing their reading are invited to participate in the Fond du Lac Public Library’s Paws to Read program. Kids read aloud to certified therapy dogs in a relaxed setting. Studies have shown that reading aloud to dogs helps put the child at ease. Kids benefit from the dogs’ patience, acceptance and comforting presence while they practice reading and build skills. The therapy dogs will be accompanied by their certified handlers and are from the group Healing Paws, Inc.

It started in 2010 with an internet posting making the rounds among library fans around the world. It was a picture of a desk made of books at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands. It was bounced around the in boxes at the Fond du Lac Public Library and eventually shared on the library’s Facebook page.

Several dozen people gathered to help the Fond du Lac Public Library celebrate their first-ever branch location, FDLPL Express, on Saturday. Highlighting the event was the unveiling of a one-of-a-kind, custom-made circulation desk made of books.

The Fond du Lac Public Library has set up Giving Trees at the downtown library and the new FDLPL Express on east Johnson Street to collect donations of hats, scarves, mittens and gloves. Donated items will be given to the Fond du Lac Salvation Army before Christmas for distribution to local children.

The Fond du Lac Public Library’s Opportunity Center is a free computer lab resource where people can get help looking for work, writing resumes and researching employers. The center is staffed by local volunteers who work one-on-one with users, many of whom lack computer skills. This help is essential.

Just in time to avert the mini-crisis on your holiday shopping list: What to get that helpful neighbor/adorable niece/plucky cat sitter? The Fond du Lac Public Library’s BookCellar now is selling $5 gift certificates.

I like to read books with a Wisconsin connection, and The Queen is a Christian thriller in the Patrick Bowers series that is set in northern Wisconsin. All of the books in the series are named for chess pieces starting with the first book The Pawn. This is a great book to read for those who like suspense and espionage.